Chapter 48: A Bowl in Heaven!

The group entered the back courtyard bedroom and saw the bed frame overturned, revealing a small box beneath containing letters, books with yellowed covers, and several vials of medicine.

Xie Jin, walking ahead, froze at the sight, his expression suddenly panicked:

“This… this…”

His reaction naturally stirred suspicion among them.

Behind the group, Company Commander Zhou He, seeing the items still there and Xie Jin’s expected look of shock, quietly exhaled in relief, stepped forward slightly, and prepared to stoke the flames.

Tie Fengzhang frowned tightly: “Young Xie, are these private belongings, unfit for public view?”

Ye Hongshang had been observing everyone’s reactions all along, and now whispered softly at his ear:

It’s the work of the Crimson Lin Guard.

Xie Jin, now certain of the mastermind’s identity, nodded inwardly, thinking the ghost bride was truly useful.

But he had already swapped out all the contraband; to publicly accuse Zhou He of framing him now would be sheer madness, so he stuck to the plan and said:

“Hmm… these are indeed personal items, not suitable for outsiders to inspect.”

“?”

Zhou He, surprised that Xie Jin admitted it, furrowed his brow—something was off.

Logically, Xie Jin should have denied any knowledge of the items appearing in his home…

Suspecting a trap, Zhou He immediately masked his expression and slipped quietly behind the crowd—but it was clearly too late…

Tie Fengzhang noticed Xie Jin’s odd demeanor and sensed something was wrong. He walked silently to the bed, took one of the vials, examined it closely, sniffed it carefully—and then froze.

Everyone held their breath. Linghu Qingmo asked nervously:

“Master Tie, what medicine is this?”

“Hmm… seems to be Dragon’s Blood Pill.”

“Huh?”

The crowd was baffled.

Behind the crowd, Lin Wanyi frowned slightly:

“I brewed that Dragon’s Blood Pill for you. What’s so secret about it? I reported it to the Academy already.”

Li Jing nodded slightly: “True. Zi Su had taken a day off yesterday.”

Xie Jin knew the Dragon’s Blood Pill wasn’t incriminating—but to “lure the snake out,” he needed to match all the contraband items, lest the mastermind spot the setup and stay hidden.

To explain his sudden panic, he had also prepared incriminating items inside the wardrobe.

Tie Fengzhang confirmed it was Dragon’s Blood Pill, set the vial down, and picked up the book with the yellowed cover.

The book’s original title had been cut off and replaced with a new paper bearing the words “The Book of Rites.”

Opening it, he saw at once: “Jade Maiden in Meditation…”

Turn the page: “One Dragon, Two Phoenixes…”

Oh, the great rites of human union…

This isn’t “Sunshine in Spring”?!

Recognizing the book, Tie Fengzhang sucked in a sharp breath and slammed it shut with lightning speed.

He turned to Xie Jin, who had slightly spread his hands, his gaze implying: Master Tie, that’s enough—we’re all grown men, let’s pretend we didn’t see it…

Tie Fengzhang, though stern and incorruptible, was no stranger to human nature.

At eighteen or nineteen, a young man’s blood is hot—who hasn’t read a few spring scrolls?

He himself had once been beaten by his master for this very thing…

To burst in and find a spring scroll in Xie Jin’s room, then publicly display it—wouldn’t that make a deadly enemy?

No wonder Xie Jin suddenly looked panicked…

If the government office had searched his room, he’d rather admit he was a demon bandit than let them open the hidden compartment under his bed.

The Wu Zu, seeing the stern Master Tie grow solemn but say nothing, were utterly confused.

Linghu Qingmo asked cautiously:

“Master Tie, what book is this?”

Tie Fengzhang had completely dismissed his suspicions; now he only thought of how to resolve this without letting the young man die of shame on the spot:

“Hmm… it’s a fringe text from the previous dynasty. Master Li should have seen it.”

Li Jing stepped forward, flipped through a few pages, then quietly took the book into his wide Confucian sleeve without a word:

“Young Xie is indeed studious. It’s indeed a text from the previous dynasty—I vouch for its innocence.”

The others were even more baffled.

If it’s innocent, why not show it?!

Is it a divine technique?

Perhaps unable to fathom the two masters’ cryptic exchange, Princess Changning stepped forward herself, took the last remaining letter from the wardrobe, and unfolded it:

“Between heaven and earth, where spiritual essence gathers, there is a maiden, Qingmo, light as a startled swan…”

“Her radiance surpasses all, like morning clouds brightening the sky; her form is graceful, like a clear breeze brushing willows…”

“Her nature is compassionate, rescuing all beings from suffering, easing the world’s sorrows…”

As Princess Changning read, her voice gradually faded.

The room fell deathly silent.

The rough Wu Zu, hearing “a maiden Qingmo” and the lavish praise that followed, all turned their gazes to the white-robed immortal beside them.

Linghu Qingmo, sword in hand, had been tense—but now her cold, beautiful face flushed crimson. With immense willpower, she held back from bursting out of the crowd to cover her face and shout:

“You shameless jerk~!”

Hou the Major Steward, seeing no one speak, fanned himself thoughtfully:

“Fine writing. Though flowery and uneven, it has a certain literary flair.”

Li Jing realized he’d been blinded by pig fat to come here rummaging through boxes, sensed the situation was dire, and tried to defend:

“I didn’t expect Young Xie’s martial cultivation is so astonishing, and his calligraphy is equally refined.

“‘Between heaven and earth, where spiritual essence gathers’ needs no interpretation: ‘qing’ refers to mountains and rivers, ‘mo’ means black, black is xuan, xuan is water—it points to rivers and streams.

“This essay, in personification, praises the spiritual beauty of mountains and rivers, the benevolence of heaven and earth…”

Old Li had done his best as a Confucian scholar debating classics—but no one here was foolish. All eyes turned to the “victim” behind them: Lin Wanyi.

Lin Wanyi’s hands clasped at her waist, fingers interlocked, tendons standing out white on her back; her sour gaze, laced with resentment, flicked toward Linghu Qingmo beside her.

(←_←)!

Noticing everyone looking, she turned away, feigning indifference.

Her acting was truly excellent…

Xie Jin had inserted this nonsense to soften the earlier tension and steer everyone’s thoughts away; now he silently praised Lin the beauty and awkwardly explained:

“I meant no harm—just wrote it for fun during idle hours. Miss Linghu, don’t misunderstand.”

No one believed him!

Linghu Qingmo, naturally pure and straightforward, was stunned to be mistaken as Lin’s rival. She wanted to explain.

But if she coldly drew a line, wouldn’t that humiliate the man who’d written her such praise in public?

What should she do?

Could she not act like those crazy noble girls and boast: “Jinhuan wrote this for me—you didn’t!”?

Cry? Even crying wouldn’t help!

That’d be green tea behavior!

Princess Changning realized she’d put her friend on the spot and tried to make amends; noticing more text below, she kept reading:

“Don’t rush, don’t rush—there’s more. Hmm… A bowl in heaven, an aunt on earth; together, heaven and earth make… Wanyi?! What kind of nonsense did you write?!”

Princess Changning’s wide, sparkling eyes bulged wider than Meiqiu’s—she nearly leapt to kick him!

Linghu Qingmo gasped in shock; every expert and Wu Zu in the room staggered.

Only Meiqiu looked around overhead, wondering—where’s the bowl? Where’s the bowl?

Xie Jin almost laughed, but to turn this into a full-blown farce, he kept a solemn face and bluffed:

“Er… I said I wrote it for fun, no real meaning, don’t take it seriously…”

No one believed him—they now began defending Lin.

We know you wrote it for fun, but this is too careless!

For Miss Qingmo, you used elegant phrases like “her radiance surpasses all, like morning clouds brightening the sky…”

For Miss Lin, you wrote: “A bowl in heaven, an aunt on earth.”

This doggerel? Even the Academy’s guard dog, Wang Cai, could compose a hundred verses after a cup of wine!

Even if you can’t pour water evenly, you don’t drown one and parch the other!

If Miss Lin hears this, won’t she spit blood three sheng?

(End of Chapter)

(End of Chapter)